DLINK - D-band Wireless Link with Fibre Data Rate

智能手机和笔记本电脑、虚拟现实、数十亿物联网或工业4.0基础设施带来的无线数据流量的惊人增长需要5G、小型蜂窝密集化和缩小数字鸿沟。无处不在的高吞吐量连接是支持不断增长的数据需求和未来无线通信市场发展的基本要求。需要负担得起的光纤数据传输率无线网络，已展示了毫米波数千兆位（Gb/s）分布的无线链路，频率可达400千兆赫。然而，在频率增加时的强大气衰减和目前基于微波的毫米波技术的局限性限制了它们的潜力。具有2 GHz带宽和理论上几Gb/s的E波段无线链路已经在市场上，但大天线占地面积和低传输功率可能会阻止更广泛的采用。100千兆赫以上的频谱部分包括许多目前未使用的宽带，如果有足够的毫米波技术，可以支持几十Gb/s。具体地，D频带（141 - 174.8）具有大约28 GHz的三个子频带。DLINK项目旨在通过在D波段实现第一个具有前所未有性能的高容量链路，将英国带到毫米波无线技术的最前沿，提供45 Gb/s，超过1公里的范围，并在ITU雨区K（英国和欧洲的典型地区）提供99.99%的可用性。DLINK系统包括一个新一代的高功率真空行波管（TWT）驱动的新型谐振隧道二极管（RTD）发射机与集成矢量调制器。该系统将在频分双工（FDD）中进行演示，每个频段为10 GHz，提供约45 Gb/s的数据速率。DLINK的高性能是由行波管作为放大器实现的，输出功率约为10 W，比相同频率下的固态放大器高出一个数量级以上。行波管的工作机制是基于能量从高能量电子束，在具有高真空水平的波导中流动，到由输入信号产生的电场的转移。市场上没有D波段行波管。由于毫米波波导的尺寸小和三维形状，因此必须解决可负担得起的毫米波波导的微制造的实质性挑战。发射机将是一个RTD振荡器，具有非常低的相位噪声，以支持由片上PIN二极管矢量调制器产生的QAM调制。DLINK系统包括两个发射器，每个FDD信道一个，集成RTD振荡器/发射器、TWT和天线。BT将首次通过现场测试研究带宽超过100 GHz的20 GHz传输链路的性能。DLINK项目具有很强的行业焦点。它是兰开斯特大学和格拉斯哥大学在无线通信产业全链条的战略支持下，从设备到最终用户的合作：IQE（半导体晶片），Filtronic（毫米波链路），Teledyne e2 v（毫米波行波管），诺基亚（系统制造商），英特尔（芯片制造商），BT（英国主要网络运营商和最终用户）该项目的高影响力将通过毫米波高数据速率链路的网格实现无线高容量网络的新架构。DLINK项目的目标是充分促进“连接国家”，这是四个繁荣成果之一，并有利于繁荣国家成果的其他众多目标。DLINK涉及两个领先研究小组的研究人员和博士生以及一些行业合作伙伴，他们将共同努力，以确保项目的成功，并为未来的行业开发制定长期战略。特别关注人才的成长，改善毫米波技术部门的性别平衡，突出兰开斯特和格拉斯哥团队的榜样。

The extraordinary increase of wireless data traffic by smartphones and laptops, virtual reality, billions of IoTs or Industry 4.0 infrastructure need 5G, small cell densification and reduction of digital divide. High throughput connectivity everywhere is a fundamental requirement to support the growing data demand and the evolution of future wireless communication market. Affordable wireless networks with fibre data rate are needed.Wireless links with multi-gigabit (Gb/s) distribution at millimetre waves have been demonstrated up to 400 GHz. However, the strong atmosphere attenuation at the increase of frequency and limitations of the present semiconductor-based millimetre wave technology limit their potentiality. E-band wireless links with 2 GHz bandwidth and theoretical few Gb/s are already in the market, but large antenna footprint and low transmission power are probably preventing wider adoption. The portion of the spectrum above 100 GHz includes numerous wide bands which are presently unused, and could support tens of Gb/s, if adequate millimetre wave technology were available. In particular, the D-band (141 - 174.8) has about 28 GHz split in three sub-bands. The DLINK project aims to bring the UK at the forefront of millimetre wave wireless technology through the realisation of the first high capacity link at D-band with unprecedented performance, to provide 45Gb/s, over 1 km range, and with 99.99% availability in ITU rain zone K (typical of UK and Europe). The DLINK system includes a high power vacuum traveling wave tube (TWT) of new generation driven by a novel resonant tunnelling diode (RTD) transmitter with an integrated vector modulator. The system will be demonstrated in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), with two bands of 10 GHz each to provide about 45 Gb/s data rate. The high performance of DLINK is enabled by traveling wave tubes as amplifiers, with about 10W output power, which is more than one order of magnitude than solid state amplifiers at the same frequency. The TWT working mechanism is based on the transfer of energy from a high energy electron beam, flowing in a waveguide with high level of vacuum, to the electric field generated by the input signal. No D-band TWTs are available in the market. Substantial challenges must be solved for an affordable microfabrication of mm-wave waveguides, due to small dimensions and three dimensional shapes. The transmitter will be an RTD oscillator with very low phase noise to support QAM modulation generated by an on-chip PIN diode vector modulator. The DLINK system includes two transmitters, one for each FDD channel, integrating a RTD oscillator/transmitter, a TWT and an antenna. For the first time, the property of a transmission link with 20 GHz bandwidth above 100 GHz will be investigated by field tests at BT.The DLINK project has a strong industry focus. It is a collaboration between Lancaster and Glasgow Universities with the strategic support of the wireless communication industry full chain, from devices to end users: IQE (semiconductor wafers), Filtronic (mm-wave links), Teledyne e2v (mm-wave TWT), Nokia (system manufacturer), Intel (chip manufacturer), BT (UK main network operator and end user).The high impact of the project will enable new architectures of wireless high capacity networks by mesh of high data rate links at mm-waves. The DLINK project has the ambition to fully contribute to "Connected Nation", one of the four Prosperous Outcomes and to benefit other numerous ambitions of the Prosperous Nation outcomes. DLINK involves researchers and PhD students of two leading research groups and a number of industry partners that will work together for the success of the project, with a long term strategy for future industry exploitation. A particular attention is devoted to growth of talent, improving the gender balance in the millimetre wave technology sector highlighting role models in the Lancaster and Glasgow teams.